Humane Society of Utah

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
870256350
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Murray, UT, USA
Phone
8012612919
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Animal Protection and Welfare

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$11,339,423
Expenses
$9,911,007
Assets
$18,045,644
Liabilities
$706,091

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

14 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CRAIG S COOK (DIRECTOR/PRESIDENT)
  • JOHN S ZIEGLER (DIRECTOR/CO-VICE PRESIDENT)
  • ALEXIS PAGOULATOS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • KATHERINE GRAY (MEDICAL DIRECTOR-ST.GEORGE): $159,333 total reported compensation
  • TIMNA FISCHBEIN (MEDICAL DIRECTOR-MURRAY): $156,504 total reported compensation
  • ALEXIS PAGOULATOS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $146,432 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The humane society of Utah is dedicated to the elimination of pain, fear, and suffering in all animals. In 2024, hsu provided over 13,000 affordable spay/neuter surgeries, administered 121,000 vaccinations, adopted 6,363 pets into loving homes, and expanded services to help pets and people stay together. Through clinics, education, shelter diversion, and more, hsu remains Utah's leading private animal welfare organization.

What it reported doing in 2024

Transfer program: hsu's transfer program brought 1,338 animals into our care from overburdened shelters, a 71% increase from 2023. These animals received lifesaving veterinary and behavioral care. Foster care program: 394 foster families cared for 1,752 animals in 2024, offering safe, loving homes to pets needing recovery time before adoption.volunteer program: our 1,312 volunteers donated 26,850 hours of service, valued at $416,000. We conducted 53 orientations to expand and support the program.humane education program: hsu reached 12,971 children through in-person and virtual classroom visits and kids' camps, teaching empathy, pet care, and animal safety.behavior program: we provided individual training to approximately 40% of the animals under our care to enhance adoptability. Our team also delivered 593 community behavioral consultations, helping pets stay in their loving homes.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 65
  • Transparency & Controls: 65
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 65
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 68.4%; rating input score 68
  • Program expense ratio: 77.1%; rating input score 77
  • Fundraising efficiency: $2.95 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 12.6%; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.82; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.2%; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 8.4% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8.9% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.2% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 68.4% of revenue deployed · 77.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $7.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $159K · 14 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $1.5M reported
  • Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 11/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 58/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 35/100.